Simon followed the blood-colored knight who had knocked on the door out of the manor.
Turning a corner, he saw seven people, tightly bound, stacked in the corner.
The blood-colored knight guarding them immediately reported, “Knight Commander, these people have been loitering near your manor, clearly attempting to infiltrate.”
Simon walked up to them, his gaze sweeping over each one.
Before he could speak, one of them cried out in terror, “I won’t say anything!”
Simon felt speechless.
He hadn’t even said a word yet, and the man had already confessed on his own.
Stepping forward, he drew his longsword and, amidst their fearful screams, slashed through the ropes.
“Knight Commander…”
The two blood-colored knights looked at Simon’s actions in confusion.
“Some of you must be Pandas’ spies. Go back and tell your master that Belinda belongs to the Empire, not to him.”
Simon said to them.
“If he wants Belinda back, then let him defeat Her Majesty and me fair and square. Otherwise, he should stop dreaming.”
After pausing for a second, he took a bag of coins from his waist and tossed it before them.
“Split this money among yourselves. You were manipulated by Pandas. I expect you to keep silent about what I’m about to say.”
“If I hear any similar rumors in the Imperial Capital after today, I will annihilate your three clans and have you executed by lingchi. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try.”
Simon stared at them coldly.
“At 1 a.m., at the Desolate Development Land in the North District of the Imperial Capital, I will plant an Imperial Flag there. Tell Pandas I invite him to meet me there—it’s about the Lady of Pandas.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the seven men hurriedly grabbed handfuls of coins from the bag and scattered in all directions.
One of the blood-colored knights spoke anxiously.
“Knight Commander, this isn’t in accordance with the rules! If Her Majesty finds out, you might be severely punished.”
Simon replied softly.
“They’re just poor people struggling to survive. To come to my manor and gather intelligence is already risking their lives. Guess how many of them did it willingly?”
“If any of them start blabbing, do as I said—tear their mouths apart.”
—
After making a round of the city, Simon arrived at the Desolate Development Land in the North District of the Imperial Capital.
He chose a prominent mound, planting the Imperial Flag and his sword atop it.
No one else was there but him.
He waited quietly until about 1 a.m.
From the distance came the rumble of carriage wheels.
Soon, a tall man in a tailcoat appeared, flanked by two attendants.
Simon was surprised to see Pandas show up so openly.
“You actually dared to arrive in a carriage, dressed so splendidly, right in front of me.”
He had expected Pandas to send an envoy with a voice transmission orb, or at least come in disguise.
He hadn’t anticipated that Pandas would make no effort to conceal himself—arriving not only in finery, but by carriage as well.
This was truly bold!
“Why not?”
Pandas spread his hands, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, and taking a deep drag.
“With the famous Simon Knight Commander extending an invitation like this, how could I not come in person?”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll just kill you?”
Simon countered.
“Afraid!”
Pandas answered bluntly.
“The number of people the Knight Commander has killed probably exceeds the amount of salt I’ve eaten. And your decisiveness and speed surpass everyone’s imagination.”
“Forget about these two behind me—even with thousands at my side, I doubt I’d be a match for you.”
“But since this is a secret invitation from the Knight Commander, I had to come myself. I wouldn’t dare disrespect you.”
“And besides, you’re doing this behind Her Majesty’s back! With her temperament, even if you killed me and claimed credit later, she’d probably still bear a grudge against you.”
Though they were enemies, Pandas had to admit—he was indeed afraid.
Yet he couldn’t back down, for what Simon wanted to discuss involved his wife.
He took a long drag on the cigarette, then extinguished it halfway.
“Enough idle talk, Knight Commander. We can’t linger here long—if we’re seen, it’ll be trouble.”
If possible, he wanted to secure a whole corpse for her, so she could rest in peace.
Simon nodded in agreement.
“That’s true.”
“You said you wanted to discuss my wife, but I don’t see what’s left to talk about. She died by your hand.”
Simon answered quietly.
“The Lady was not killed by me.”
“Simon! A Duke takes responsibility for his actions—can you not even admit this?!”
Pandas’ voice rose uncontrollably.
“You say you didn’t kill her! That day, you personally raided my house, and my wife died from that moment!”
“She didn’t even… even…”
His voice trembled.
“She didn’t even have a complete body left. What was the meaning of leaving half her corpse at the city gate? Was it to humiliate me?!”
Simon waited a few seconds for Pandas to calm down before speaking again.
“I have no reason to admit to something I didn’t do.”
“That day, I did leave a path of escape for the Lady—in your study, there is a secret passage.”
Pandas was stunned by Simon’s words.
“How do you know there’s a secret passage in my study that leads outside?”
“See—even you find it unlikely that I’d know. If I truly wanted to kill her, do you think she could have escaped? Besides, the Lady didn’t even try to flee that day.”
“From her state, it wasn’t hard to tell you never told her about the passage. Why?”
If Lady Pandas had known, she wouldn’t have been cowering in the center of the Hall, clutching Belinda.
“If you loved her so much, you should have told her. If there was a chance your house might be raided, she could have escaped with Belinda.”
“Pandas, you know very well that your actions were against Her Majesty. Just because she didn’t come for you immediately doesn’t mean she never will. When Her Majesty decides to settle accounts, this is the consequence.”
Simon calmly recounted the events to Pandas.
“What do you know!”
Pandas pointed helplessly at his own head.
“If she knew, that would have been even more dangerous for her!”
“Knowing and not knowing are completely different—don’t forget, we live in a world of magic. The most terrifying thing isn’t power that can split mountains, nor the authority others desire and fear, but mysterious and unpredictable magic.”
“I couldn’t gamble on that, and I wouldn’t. Others might not know Her Majesty’s past, but I do.”
Pandas pulled another cigarette from his breast pocket.
“Click~”
He lit it.
“Her Majesty is a distinguished mage. When I was lost in the Imperial City, I saw her practicing magic—it was terrifying.
When I resolved to oppose her, I also investigated the background of that mage mentor from years ago. The person specialized in ancient forbidden magic.”
“Anyone with a bit of magic knowledge knows how terrifying those four words are. Even today, such people are extremely dangerous.”
“And I hoped my wife could live happily in this world, not spending every day in fear, praying for me.”